Moral distress among physicians working in pediatric intensive care

Abstract

This study investigates and interprets the occurrence of moral distress among pediatric physicians working in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. A cross-sectional, exploratory, descriptive research was conducted to survey the presence of moral distress among 43 physicians from a specific therapy unit assessed by the Moral Distress Scale Revised. Most responses regarding the presence of moral distress revolved around end-of-life issues, painful life-prolonging situations, poor team communication, professional health problems, discomfort with uncertain prognoses, need for multidisciplinary visits and patient suffering. We sought evidence in research on certain situations that can trigger moral distress at different intensities and frequencies among professionals, according to some variables.